Florida State got the win, but Ashton Daniels didn’t do enough to silence his doubters. Now, with No. 19 SMU up next, the pressure is on the Seminoles quarterback.
Florida State (1-0) opened the season with a 34-17 win over New Mexico State, but for a team many believe will struggle to reach six wins, the Seminoles did little Saturday night to silence the doubters who expect 2026 to be another disappointing season.
One of the biggest reasons Florida State entered 2026 with low expectations was questions surrounding whether quarterback Ashton Daniels could lead the Seminoles back to being an ACC contender.
From the moment Daniels arrived in Tallahassee, questions lingered about whether he could turn Florida State back into a championship contender.
In his first game as a Seminole, Daniels had his moments, but ultimately, his performance did little to quiet the naysayers or prove he has what it takes to lead Florida State back to contention.
In the game, Daniels finished 17-of-27 for 202 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He also added 30 yards on eight carries and a touchdown on the ground.
But despite the win, Daniels and the Seminoles offense have plenty of work to do if they hope to pull off an upset against No. 19 SMU next week.
“We got the win, obviously that’s the goal at the end of the night,” Daniels said. “There are a lot of things to clean up.”
Daniels opened the game perfect, going four-for-four on the first drive, making it the start Daniels’ supporters wanted to see, even if it didn’t end with a touchdown.
Over the next 4 series, however, Daniels went 5-for-5, finishing the first half 9-of-14 for 144 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Daniels completed 64 percent of his passes in the first half and added a rushing touchdown.
One of the biggest problems surrounding Daniels when he arrived at Florida State was his ability to protect the football. The reason was a 24-touchdown-to-22-interception ratio in his college career. And Daniels showcased that problem in game one for Florida State fans.
With Florida State leading 10-7, Daniels’ pass was intercepted by Nick Session at the NMS 32-yard line. And despite being game one and having the lead, fans let Daniels know exactly what they thought.
“The boos at Florida State come in the first half of the first game, after Ashton Daniels throws an INT,” Chris Vannini posted on X.
The boos grew even louder after Daniels went 1-for-3 on Florida State’s opening drive of the second half, which ended in the Noles punting after just five plays.
Daniels’ best stretch in the second half was when he completed five consecutive passes. Three of those passes, however, were for two yards or fewer. He finished the second half 8-of-13 passing with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Daniels and the offense will now have a week to learn from their mistakes and clean them up before opening ACC play against No. 19 SMU. If Florida State is going to pull off the upset over the Mustangs, Daniels will have to outduel Kevin Jennings. Athlon Sports senior college football editor Steven Lassan ranked Jennings as the No. 2 quarterback heading into the season.
If he can outduel Jennings, Daniels will take a big step forward in proving his doubters wrong while showing he can lead Florida State back to ACC contention.
